[Ikarus]

Tau Headquarters:

A Crisis Commander is a +1, meaning it is mandatory. There are two choices for the selection, then there is the optional secondary HQ choice - the Ethereal. Here is an overview.

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Crisis Commander (Shas'O)

Good's
Independent Character HIGH BS
HIGH WOUNDS

Bad's
Can get instant killed like any other suit
Can be expensive in points (if over-tooled)

Recommendation - 1000+ point game

This best HQ choice for the Tau, highly mobile and firepower mad. The Shas'O is best given two weapons and a multi tracker due to his already high Ballistic Skill (BS). He can prove to be a very tough guy being backed up with Toughness 4 and 4 wounds.

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Crisis Commander (Shas'El)

Good's
Independent Character
Above Average BS
Decent Wounds
Cheaper in points (In comparison to Shas'O)

Bad's
Can get instant killed like any other suit
Can be expensive in points (if over-tooled)

Recommendation - Any sized-point game

As the 2nd choice for a Crisis Suit Commander for HQ, the Shas'El is still a great choice. He has the exact same armory selection as the Shas'O, but the difference is within stats. The Shas'O has lesser wounds, attacks, initiative and Ballistic Skill. But only slightly. Shas'El is recommended whenever you are low on points, or need a leader that is cheaper so then you can spend more points elsewhere in your Tau army.
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Ethereal (Aun)

Good's
Independent Character
Honor Guard
Strong Leadership

Bad's
Very Fragile
Fatal Drawback (On death)

Recommendation - Any sized-point game

A nice unit that adds a backbone to the army, making all Tau models (bar Drones and Kroot) more stubborn to morale checks, but at the cost of if the Aun dies, the Tau army may run away from the battle. Whether you take an Aun is up to you, whether the advantages outweighs the disadvantages.
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Tau Elites:

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Crisis Suit Teams (XV8)

Good's

Strong Firepower (Anti-Infantry,Vehicle, Heavy)
Mobility (Move 6'' in Movement Phase, Another 6'' in Assault)
Decent Resilience (2 Wounds 3+ Save)

Bad's
Can get instant killed by strength 8
Can be expensive in points (if over-tooled)
Weak in Close Combat
Can be very exspensive Points wise

Recommendation -

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Stealth Suit Teams (XV15-25)

Good's

Strong Firepower (Anti-Infantry)
Ability to kill tank
Mobility
Decent Resilience

Bad's

Can be expensive in points (if over-tooled)

Recommendation -

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Tau Troops:

Tau Fire Warriors

Good's

Strong Firepower (Anti-Infantry)
Decent Armour Save

Bad's

Low Toughness
Low Leadership
Weak in Close Combat

Recommendation -

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Kroot

Good's

Cheap Points Wise
Good in Close Combat (In respect to every choice in Tau Army)

Infiltration

Forest Bonuses +1 Bonus Cover Save (In Forests)
12'' Field of Vision through forests (6'' normal)

Bad's

Low-No Armour Saves

Recommendation -

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Tau Fast Attack:

Gun Drone Squad

Good's

Strong Firepower (Anti-Infantry)
Mobility

Bad's

Low Toughness
Low Leadership
Low Squad Size

Weak in Close Combat

Recommendation -

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PATHFINDERS
By SpartanTau

Good:
- Great source of Markerlights for a reasonably low cost
- good weapon selection (Pulse Carbines, Rail Rifles)
- compulsory Devilfish has a Marker Beacon (allows more accurate Deep Strikes)
- able to fire Seeker Missiles

Bad:
- very immobile if Markerlights used
- expensive when combined with the cost of the Devilfish
- vulnerable to enemy fire, especially template weapons
- easily disrupted from doing their job

Recommendations:
Equip the necessary Devilfish as a Warfish. This allows you to get some teeth with your Markerlight investment. The Pathfinders should be deployed in cover, or if this is not possible, right near some. The Scout move can then be used to take them into cover, giving them much needed protection against Heavy Bolters and the like.
If you are using Rail Rifles (which should be rarely), take them in either a squad of four or six. This gives you a good unit for a lower cost, especially since the rifles almost double the cost of a single Pathfinder. They shouldn't be used in battles of less than 1500 points, as they are an expensive investment that usually don't benefit armies in lower point games.

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PIRANHA LIGHT SKIMMER
By SpartanTau
[Dedicted to Israfel]

Good:
- access to vehicle armoury (unlike Land Speeders)
- good front armor (immune to Bolter fire)
- Seeker missile delivery system (allows Seeker Missile shots at side or rear armor within the first two turns)
- Gun Drone squadron included in points cost
- cheap upgrade to tank hunting with a Fusion Blaster
- preserving Victory Points: a squadron of two will give up no victory points if only one is destroyed during the game
- Feeding Frenzy: using multiple Fusion Piranhas to surround a transport (especially Land Raiders), destroy the transport, then prevent the squad inside from deploying, in turn destroying them as well
- only fast vehicle in the Tau arsenal

Bad:
- Open-Topped (very susceptible to ordnance, high rate of fire, etc.)
- slightly more expensive than Imperial counterparts
- can easily get very expensive
- most upgrades that are essential to the heavier Tau skimmers don't work as well with the Piranha
- hard to hide large squadrons with cover (unit footprint)

Recommendations:
Take Piranhas in squadrons of two. This way you still get a reliable and tough unit, but you can negate victory points easily. Squadrons should always be specialized (either with all Burst Cannons or with all Fusion Blasters) to maximize their potential. When used with Fusion Blasters, the drones should be disembarked soon to prevent their shots from being wasted.
If used as a Seeker Missile delivery system, use cover. The Piranhas will be the closest target, and if missiles off of them took out a Leman Russ/Predator/Falcon, your opponent will direct anti-tank weaponry against them. While they can be tough, the Piranha are still very fragile if not used correctly.
For infantry hunting, the drones should stay attached, and a squadron should advance with a Stealth Team/Kroot squad to help eliminate the threat.

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Tau Heavy Support:

HAMMERHEAD GUNSHIP
By SpartanTau Railgun Variant

Good:
- Best anti-tank weapon in the game with amazing range
- most versatile tank (can take out Land Raiders and Guardsmen)
- Heavy armor
- a Tau tank (skimmer moving fast, vehicle upgrades)
Bad:
- everyone hates railguns, especially when they are mounted on an almost indestructible skimmer
- secondary weapons don't really match main weapon
- expensive compared to other Tau tanks

Ion Cannon Variant

Good:
- MEQ killer, especially when combined with Burst Cannons
- better at taking out light to medium tanks than the Railgun
- Heavy armor
- a Tau tank (skimmer moving fast, vehicle upgrades)
- much less expensive than the Railhead
- secondary weapons more useful
Bad:
- is a Tau tank with Tau technology, which everyone hates
- more offensive/frontline nature can lead to an early destroyed result

Recommendations:
Usually, if you are tooling for a specific enemy (Ravenwing, Eldar), the Ion Cannon with Burst Cannons is the better choice. It puts out nine shots a turn and maintains all of the protection of being a Tau tank, plus enemies may ignore it for a turn as it doesn't have a Railgun on it. It is great for taking out marines as the Ion Cannon negates their armor save and wounds on 2+.
For a Take-All-Comers list, the Railgun is usually better. The main weapon is so versatile that at least two Railheads is considered required for a Tau army of at least 1000 points. Of course, it is much more expensive (in my 1500 points list, my three Hammerheads are a third of my points) and much more feared for it's destructibility.

For both variants, the SMS is usually a better choice, unless of course you are tooling up for a specific threat. When combined with a Markerlight source, both tanks become absolute killing machines, hitting (possibly) on 2+ and basically incinerating whatever they just hit.
There is a reason why everyone who plays against Tau expect these sharks, and why (almost) everyone who plays with Tau uses them.

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SKY RAYBy SpartanTau

Good:
- Only really mobile Markerlight source in the army (aside from the slightly mobile Stealth Marker Team)
- Can launch its own Seeker Missiles (negates the need to bring Pathfinders/SMT)
- Secondary weapons still great after the six missiles are launched
- Inexpensive compared to a Railhead (~180 points), depending on upgrades
- is a Tau tank (access to armoury, very survivable, etc.) with the same armor as a Hammerhead

Bad:
- Seeker Missiles a one-shot weapon (also can only have six)
- On its own, can't be relied upon to fire all the missiles in a six-turn game
- takes a Heavy Support slot that may be better spent on a different unit

Recommendations:
If you are running a Seeker-heavy list, the Sky Ray is the way to go. Bringing its own launching mechanism means that it doesn't take even more points to be effective. It shines even more when those missiles are guided by Pathfinders or an SMT. If you already have Pathfinders/SMT and at least three vehicles, it is usually better to skip the Sky Ray and just place two missiles on each of your boats. That way your arsenal is spread out, preventing a lucky Lascannon shot from taking out your heavy weapons. If you are playing for fluffy reasons, a filled HS contingent should include a Sky Ray.

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Broadside

Good's

Bad's

Recommendation -

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Sniper Drones

Good's

Bad's

Recommendation -

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Rest of the guide coming up.